Corset



(No Model.)

J. STONE. CORSET.

Patented Dec. 9

NTTED STATES PATENT Prion.

JAMES STONE, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

C O R S ET SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,552, dated December 9, 1890.

Application led February 17, 1890. Serial No. 340,717. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES STONE, of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corsets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in corsets, having reference more particularly to the lacing-eyes of the corset and to lacingeyes of that kind which are flexible and are formed by a continuons looped cord or tape Secured to the marginal part of the corset.

The invention embraces improvements in corsets containing such lacing-eyes, as will b hereinafter fully set forth. K i

In carrying out the main features of my invention the lacing-eyes are preferably formed by a cord or tape, which is first made into a series of parallel loops connected by portions of the cord or tape between them. The looped cord may be held together at the base of each loop by sewing or other fastening device, or by securing the looped cord upon a foundation strip of fabric, as by pasting or sewing. The looped cord thus prepared is inserted between the inner and outer layers of the cloth of the corset, with the ends of the loops projecting beyond the margins of the said layers to form the flexible lacing-eyes. The loops are then secured in place by a line or lines of stitching passing through the corsetlayers and the loops. When the looped cord is held in form for insertion between the corset-layers by attachment to a base or foundation, such base or foundation may consist either of one of the layers composing the corset itself or a separate strip inserted between the layers.

As a separate and further improvement, I apply between the cloth layers of the corset over or across the parts of said loops adJacent to the margins of the corset a stilening strip or strips of whalebone,bamboo, or other suitable material. Such stiffening strip or strips are secured in place by stitching at both sides of a single strip or between the strips .when more than one strip is present, such line or lines of stitching passing through the layers of the corset and the cord-loops. The several loops which extend transverselyT across the stiffening strip or strips are tightlyand strongly secured to the stillening-strips, and are at the same time securely attached to the corset-layers by means of the several lines of stitches passing` through them.

A corset having the flexible eyes and the marginal stiffening-strips, as last above described, provides an important and valuable article of manufacture, for the reason that the loops can be quickly and readily formed and the stiffeningstrips inserted and secured in place and the loops secured to the marginal stiffening of lthe corset in a simple and expeditious manner and without requiring the use of greater time or care than is required in securing the stitfening-strips alone in place.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view of the rear portion of the corset, a portion of the ou ter layer of the cloth of the corset being broken away over the stiffening-strip to show the means for attaching the cord loops which form the flexible lacingeyes. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, much enlarged, of the marginal part of the corset shown in Fig. l, illustrating the manner of securing the cord loops and stiffeningstrips in place. Fig. 3 illustrates the foundation-strip with loops secured thereon preparatory to insertion in the corset. Fig. 4t illustratesin perspective view a portion ofthe mar ginal part of a corset provided with iexible eyes, wherein any marginal stiffening-strips are absent. Fig. 5 shows a construction similar to that shown in Fig. 4, wherein the loops are secured to oneof the corset-layers as a foundation. Fig. 6 illustrates in perspective view a looped cord prepared in readiness for insertion between the layers of the corset, any foundation-strip being absent. Fig. 7 illustrates a form of loop slightly differing from that shown in the other figures.

In the said drawings, A A indicate the two halves or parts of a corset, and B B cord loops or exible lacing-eyes attached to the margins of the corset for engagement with the lacing-strings C O. The loops B B are formed by means of continuous cords or tapes B B', which are placed between the layers of the IOO corset with the ends of the loops projecting therefrom, and are secured in place by one or more lines of stitching parallel with the edge of the corset passing through one or more of the cloth layers of the corset and through the said loops. Y

In Figs. 1, 2, and 4, a2 indicates a row of stitching, which secures together the margins of the cloth layers a c', and at the same time serves to secure the loops to the said corsetlayers.

The cord l5 may be placed and held in the shape of a series of parallel loops preparatory to being inserted and secured between the layers of the corset in any one of several different ways. In Fig. 3, for instance, the cord B is shown as secured to a foundation-strip D, of cloth or other exible material, by means of a line of stitching cl passing longitudinally through those parts of the cord which extend between the loops. Instead of being secured to the base or foundationDby means of stitching, however, the cord may be pasted or glued to the said foundation, a construction of this kind being shown in Fig. et. In either case, after the loops have been secured to the foundation-strip with their ends which are to form the flexible eyes projecting from the side margin of the said strip, the strip and the loops are placed between the layers of the corset, with the ends of the loops projecting from between the lsaid layers at the margin of the corset, and the loops are then secured in place by one or more lines of stitching parallel with the margin of the corset.

Instead of securing the cord which is to form the eyes in proper shape-for insertion between the layers of the corset by attachment to a separatepiece or base, the cord may be secured directly to one of the layersof the corset before said layers are placed together.`

A construction of this kind is shown in Fig. 5, wherein the cord B is shown as secured to the inner layer c of the corset, the exterior layer c thereof being applied over the cord and secured to the inner layer by one or more lines of stitching parallel with the margin of the corset-as, for instance, by the line of stitching a2, which connects the margins of the layers and passing through the cord near the points at which the eyes emerge between the layers.

In Fig. 6 is shown still another construction in a looped cord for insertion between the cloth layers of the corset. In this instance the several loops are formed by connecting the parts of the cord at the bases of theloops at points indicated at b b b of said Fig. 6. Such connection of the cord at the base of the loop may be made by sewing or otherwise, a simple and convenient means of forming the connection being shown in said Fig. 6, wherein a line of stitching b extends longitudinally through the cord inits part between the loopsl and across the bases of the loop. lVhen this method of forming the loops is employed, the

parts of the cord may be overlapped more or less at the bases of the loops to afford a stronger connection at this point. Inasmuch, however, as the eyes will commonly be secured firmly in place by the stitching passing through the cloth layers and the loops, a particularly strong connection for holding the loops in shapeis not essential, andthe threads forming the line of stitching b will be sufiicent for the purpose.

In Fig. 7 a cord loop is shown wherein the part of the cord forming the loop is twisted so that the parts of the cord at the base of the loop cross each other, as indicated at b2 of said Fig. '7. When this construction is used, a line of stitching b', passing longitudinally through the cord, will obviously serve to firmly secure the parts together at the points at which they cross each other. A looped cord which is without any foundation-strip may obviously be inserted between the cloth layers of the corset and secured in place by stitching through the said cloth layers and the loops, in the same manner as hereinbefore set forth.

E E E, Figs. l and 2, are stiffening-strips of whalebone, bamboo, or other material employed for stiffening the rear vertical mar gins of the corset. These stiffening-strips are arranged near and parallel with the rear margin of the corset, and are secured in place by lines of stitching e e, passing between the strips and through the cord loops. The lines of stitching e e obviously serve as an additional means for securing to the cloth layers of the corset the transverse portions or loops of the cord B. Such lines of stitching, furthermore, by binding or holding the cord loops, the cloth layers, and the stiffeningstrips between them closely and iirmly together in effect secure the cord which forms the eyes to the stiffening.

A construction wherein the lacing-eyes are severally connected with the stiffening at the rear of the corset is of advantage, for the reason that the strain upon the eyes is by such construction transmitted directly to the stiffening, instead of to the iiexible part of the corset, so that the corset-cannotbe pulled out of shape by unequal strain upon the individual eyes.

I have herein shown the stiffening-strips E E E as secured between two layers E E of cloth or other flexible material, said layers serving to hold the stiffening-strips parallel with each other while being inserted and secured between the cloth layers of the corset, in' the manner fully set forth in a prior patent, No. 351,344, granted to myself and' Marshall Gardner.

`The employment of stiffening-strips united by cloth layers in the manner described and shown is of advantage in facilitating the operation of inserting and sewing the strips in' place; but the employment of stiffening thus made is not essential to the successful constructionof the novel lacing-eyes embraced IOO IIO

in this invention, inasmuch as the stiffeningstrips may be separately secured in place by means of a cording attachment to a sewingmachine, or by other means heretofore employed for the purpose.

In forming part of my invention the cord B', from which the eyes are formed, may be secured and held in the form of a series of parallel loops in any manner found convenient or desirable-as, for instance, by means of an attachment to a sewing-machine shown in a prior patent, No. 413,853, granted to myself as the assignee of Marshall Gardner, and adapted for giving shape to the loops and for sewing said loops to a foundation-strip in the manner indicated in Fig. 3 and above described.

The length of the loops, or, in other words, the distance of the longitudinal portion of the cord between the loops from the edge of the corset, is immaterial. It will commonlybe preferred,however, to locate the longitudinal partof the co'rd atsome distance inwardly from the margin of the corset, in order to enable more than one line of stitching to pass through the cord loops for holding the latter in place. Then the cord loops, made in the manner proposed, are employed in connection with stiffening-strips, as illustrated in Figs. land 2, furthermore, the longitudinal part of the cord will be located at a considerable distance inwardly from the margin of the corset, in order that the transverse or looped portions of the cord may extend across and may be secured by lines of stitching to one or more of the stilfening-strips.

In the particular construction illustrated in Figs. l and 2 the cord loops extend over the two outer stiifening-strips and past the space between the second and third stiffening-strips, so that two lines of stitching e e pass through the cord loops, in addition to the exterior row of stitches d2, by which the cloth layers are secured together at their margins.

Iclaim as my inventionl. The improved corset herein described, comprising a' continuous cord joined at intervals to form a series of separate loops, said loops being connected by stitching longitudinally through the parts of the cord between the loops, said looped cord being inserted between the cloth layers of the corset, with the ends of the loops extending beyond the same to form a series of flexible eyes and secured in place by rows of stitching extending through the cloth layers and across the cord loops, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described corset, comprising a continuous cord joined at intervals to form a series of separate loops, said loops being connected to each other by the parts of the cord lying between them, a flexible base or foundation-strip, upon one side of which the looped cord is secured, the ends of the loops extending beyond one margin thereof, said looped cord and iexible foundation-strip being inserted between the cloth layers of the corset, with the ends of the loops extending beyond the same to form a series of flexible eyes and secured in place by rows of stitching extending through the cloth layers and foundation-strip and across the cord loops.

3. The improved corset herein described, comprising a continuous cord joined at intervals to form a series of separate loops which are connected with each other by the parts of the cord between the loops, said looped cord being secured to one side of a base or foundation-strip by a line of stitching extending along the parts of the cord connecting the loops, said looped cord and base being inserted between the cloth layers of the corset, with the ends of the loops extending beyond the same to forma series of flexible eyes and secured in place by rows of stitching extending through the cloth layers, the foundation-strip, and across the cord loops, substantially as described.

4. The herein-described corset, comprising a continuous cord joined atintervals to form a series of separate loops, said loops being connected to each other by the parts of the cord lying between them, a flexible base or foundation-strip, upon one side of which the looped cord is secured, said looped cord and flexible foundation-strip being inserted between the cloth layers of the corset, with the ends of the loops extending beyond the same to form a series of iiexible eyes, a marginal stiffening-strip inserted between the cloth layers and extending across and over the cord loops, said stiffening-strip, looped cord, and flexible foundation-strip being secured in place by rows of stitching extending through the same and across the cord loops, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES STONE.

Witnesses:

TAYLOR E. BROWN, C. CLARENCE POOLE.

lOO 

